Jon Matthew Brown

Such a relief to not be preached to in the movies. The music and songs are outstanding! I can't say enough good about the music. Pinocchio is adorable! All the characters are perfect. The animation is beautiful! A flawless movie and unforgettable storytelling. I've watched it five times already. I can't get enough of it. It is a real treasure Guillermo and his team have brought to us and I'm thrilled it's getting the love it deserves. I was moved to tears by the conversation between Pinocchio and Candlewick at the military youth camp. My biggest takeaway is that there are still artists out there (Guillermo del Toro) who are proponents of tradition and love and friendship.

I came into this series dreading it! I thought it would be pushing a bunch of preachy woke content. Instead, it turns out it is a phenomenal dramatization of Middle Earth lore. I'd even go so far as to say it improves upon the Peter Jackson portrayal. It succeeds in the music, the visual spectacle, and storytelling (a true feat, since Jackson actually diverged too much from Tolkien's work which is canonized; while these guys had to be true storytellers in the absence of official content). It is better than Jackson's because each of the characters and races is more dynamic and much more relatable. The writing is outstanding. AND it's fun for the whole family. I've rewatched the first two episodes three times in the last week with my children. My favorite race is the that of the dwarves (Durin's wife is a revelation), then the harfoots/hobbits, then the wizard, then the elves (particularly Elrond and Galadriel's brother). Galadriel herself is fun to watch, although, the story of her at sea is the least interesting of all the stories being shown. I also can't stand the kid with the sword hilt! His undesirability must be intentional.

Emma Stone nails it! She is an incredible actress and breathes such life into this story. Well done Disney! I was unsure about this since I was disappointed with Aladin and Timon and Pumba in the live-action take on The Lion King. Cruella far exceeded my low expectations and was in fact, a deeply satisfying movie.

There is nothing exaggerated about the quality of this series. If you watch this you will learn more about Jesus Christ and our reasons for worshiping him more immediately than any other way. The Chosen will give you an interpretation of the Christian record that lends itself to the real motivations behind sincere students of Jesus. If you are persuaded by this series to believe in and love Jesus of long ago, then you will have a proper understanding of Christians, which includes adherents to the more ancient Orthodox and Catholic remnants as well as the relatively modern Reformed and Restored organizations dedicated to the practice of Jesus' religion established so long ago.